Youth for Neurodiversity Inc.

Youth for Neurodiversity Inc. Join us in building a global collective of neurodivergent youth & allies! Champion strengths, inclusive spaces, policies, & tech!

🥳From Aashna : Last Wednesday, I had the incredible honor of showcasing Spark, my app designed for ADHD girls and gender...
08/27/2026

🥳From Aashna : Last Wednesday, I had the incredible honor of showcasing Spark, my app designed for ADHD girls and gender-expansive youth, at Apple Union Square for the Kode With Klossy x Mobile App Challenge Showcase. Video link in bio.

Spark is built to support and affirm the strengths and unique ways ADHD girls like me experience the world, with features such as Spark Circles, body doubling, focus realms, feelings check-ins, and a Neurodiversity Corner. I built Spark to create a space that supports ADHD youth in finding community and celebrating their strengths.

It was truly special being selected by KWK and apple mentors to showcase Spark live stage amidst inspiring peers, Christine Lai, Kayley Seow, Elanu Karakus, Shohaani Naug, and role models, Karen-Happuch P. H, adora ✮⋆˙ , Jes Wolfe .

A huge thank you to Madainn Krall, Ria Koppikar, Katie Levedahl, Osi Imeokparia, Lisa Niedermeyer, Christian Mucks, and everyone at Kode With Klossy and Apple Union Square who made this event possible.

I’m so grateful for the mentorship, support, and encouragement throughout this experience. 💖

🌈🎉 Honored to have our abstract approved!! Huge thanks to Stanford Neurodiversity Project for empowering youth.✨I’ll be ...
08/27/2026

🌈🎉 Honored to have our abstract approved!! Huge thanks to Stanford Neurodiversity Project for empowering youth.✨

I’ll be presenting a YND poster at the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit 2026, September 19–21!!

If you can come (in person or virtual), we’d love to see you there. We aim to have our exhibit too (more on that in a few days)! 💜Aashna@YouthforND

➡️ Register for the summit at tinyurl.com/SNP-summit-2026

This year’s theme is Building Strengths through Neurodiversity Innovation — and that’s exactly what this work is about. 💛

YND Poster Title: Beyond Awareness and Acceptance: Forging Authentic Bonds Between Neurotypical and Neurodivergent Youth Through Grassroots Innovation and the Ally in Training™ App

🥳Honored to have our abstract approved by Society for Neuroscience (SfN) !!🌈Grateful for this chance to bring youth-led ...
08/27/2026

🥳Honored to have our abstract approved by Society for Neuroscience (SfN) !!

🌈Grateful for this chance to bring youth-led neurodiversity work into a neuroscience space.

YND will have a poster at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 14 🧠

Title: Youth-Led Peer Resources for Empathy Across Neurotypes: A Neuroscience-Informed Outreach Model

If you’ll be at SfN, please come say hi at the poster. If not, I’ll share more as we get closer. 🙌

Register at tinyurl.com/sfn-2026

🧡Aashna@YouthforND

08/26/2026

🥳From Aashna : Last Wednesday, I had the incredible honor of showcasing Spark, my app designed for ADHD girls and gender-expansive youth, at Apple Union Square for the Kode With Klossy x Mobile App Challenge Showcase. Video link in bio.

Spark is built to support and affirm the strengths and unique ways ADHD girls like me experience the world, with features such as Spark Circles, body doubling, focus realms, feelings check-ins, and a Neurodiversity Corner. I built Spark to create a space that supports ADHD youth in finding community and celebrating their strengths.

It was truly special being selected by KWK and Apple mentors to showcase Spark live stage amidst inspiring peers, Christine Lai, Kayley Seow, Elanu Karakus, Shohaani Naug, and role models, Karen-Happuch P. H , Adora Vaz, Jes Wolfe.

A huge thank you to Madainn Krall, Ria Koppikar, Katie Levedahl, Osi Imeokparia, Lisa Niedermeyer, Christian Mucks, and everyone at Kode With Klossy and Apple Union Square who made this event possible.

I’m so grateful for the mentorship, support, and encouragement throughout this experience. 💖

🥳From Aashna : Last Wednesday, I had the incredible honor of showcasing Spark, my app designed for ADHD girls and gender...
08/26/2026

🥳From Aashna : Last Wednesday, I had the incredible honor of showcasing Spark, my app designed for ADHD girls and gender-expansive youth, at Apple Union Square for the Kode With Klossy x Mobile App Challenge Showcase. Video link in bio.

Spark is built to support and affirm the strengths and unique ways ADHD girls like me experience the world, with features such as Spark Circles, body doubling, focus realms, feelings check-ins, and a Neurodiversity Corner. I built Spark to create a space that supports ADHD youth in finding community and celebrating their strengths.

It was truly special being selected by KWK and Apple mentors to showcase Spark live stage amidst inspiring peers, Christine Lai, Kayley Seow, Elanu Karakus, Shohaani Naug, and role models, Karen-Happuch P. H, Adora Vaz, Jes Wolfe.

A huge thank you to Madainn Krall, Ria Koppikar, Katie Levedahl, Osi Imeokparia, Lisa Niedermeyer, Christian Mucks, and everyone at Kode With Klossy and Apple Union Square who made this event possible.

I’m so grateful for the mentorship, support, and encouragement throughout this experience. 💖

☎️📞 TAKE ACTION: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB2526 (Muratsuchi) to strengthen special edu...
08/26/2026

☎️📞 TAKE ACTION: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB2526 (Muratsuchi) to strengthen special education funding for students with support needs who take California’s alternate assessments.

The current funding system does not fully account for the true cost of serving neurodivergent students.

As a result, schools frequently divert money from other programs, putting strain on critical student programs. Adequate funding means greater access to specialized instruction, individualized supports, early intervention, and opportunities to succeed.

Find your representative here: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ [or scan QR code]

💚 Fund student needs.
🧡 Support every learner.
💙 Build stronger futures.

📚 Every student deserves the support they need to learn, belong, and thrive.

AB 2526 expands funding for Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) so that neurodivergent students who take alternate assessments are also counted, not only students with low-incidence conditions of hearing, vision, or orthopedic impairment.

Secondly, the bill adds a new special education grant to the Local Control Funding Formula so districts and charter schools would receive extra funding based on the percentage of their students who have the most significant support needs, and the bill requires that this funding prioritizes early intervention.

📣 We urge California lawmakers to SUPPORT AB 2526 and help ensure resources follow the students who need them most.

➡️Equity in funding. Opportunity for all.

☎️📞 TAKE ACTION TODAY: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB1626 to require behavioral and mental...
08/26/2026

☎️📞 TAKE ACTION TODAY: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB1626 to require behavioral and mental health training for interscholastic and youth sports coaches in California –

🧡💜 All young people deserve to enjoy sports with a sense of belonging, confidence, and community.

Find your representative here: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ [or scan QR code]

Protecting young athletes starts with trained coaches. ⚽️🏀🏈⚾️🏒🏊‍♀️🧠

AB 1626 (Gabriel) requires behavioral and mental health training for high school and youth sports coaches — including trauma-informed care and strategies for building positive, supportive team cultures.

Research shows neurodivergent and differently abled students already face higher rates of bullying, social isolation, anxiety, and depression.

For many youth with ADHD, autism, and Tourette syndrome, sensory processing, executive functioning, social communication, and anxiety can create real barriers. Without informed coaching, athletic spaces often leave neurodivergent athletes feeling misunderstood or left out.

California’s 2026 Play Equity Report found that “42% of youth with disabilities” stopped participating in sports or physical activity in the past two years.
Support AB 1626.

🩷💚🧡💜 Let’s make youth sports truly welcoming for all.



More information:
YND Position Letter: Our position letter: https://www.youthfornd.org/our-position-letters

CCSWG Policy Priorities: https://women.ca.gov/policy/

🌟Proud to have met Assemblymember Gail Pellerin staff in District 28 to thank them for . Excited to see the bill go o...
08/26/2026

🌟Proud to have met Assemblymember Gail Pellerin staff in District 28 to thank them for . Excited to see the bill go on the Assembly floor soon!

Huge thanks to CCSWG and Unchained At Last for their tireless efforts and City Of San José’s Girl Scouts of Northern California for their testimony to the Assembly Judiciary Committee! 💜

📞☎️TAKE ACTION TODAY: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB1267 and help end child marriage in California.

➡️Find your representative here: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ [or scan QR code]

AB1267 (Pellerin) would set 18 as the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnership in California, with no exceptions. is proud to support CCSWG and Unchained At Last for their tireless efforts. Huge thanks to bill author Assemblymember Gail Pellerin

💜 Every child deserves the chance to grow into their full potential. Child marriage disproportionately affects girls - Dropping out of school, early motherhood, risk for human trafficking are significant risks.

📚 According to UNESCO, 87% of married teen girls ages 15–17 are no longer in school, and 76% already have children.
⚖️ An estimated 35,000 minors were married in California between 2000 and 2021, according to Unchained At Last.
🧠 Neurodivergent youth may face additional barriers in asserting boundaries or recognizing coercion, making strong protections for young people especially important.

🌟It’s time to protect youth, empower their futures, and build stronger communities. 📚

📣 Urge California lawmakers to SUPPORT AB1267 and help end child marriage.

More information ⬇️

- Unchained At Last: https://www.unchainedatlast.org/

- CCSWG Executive Director Darcy Totten’s Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yZ748CNiuc

- YND Position Letter: Our position letter: https://www.youthfornd.org/our-position-letters

💪

📞☎️TAKE ACTION TODAY: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB1267 and help end child marriage in Ca...
08/24/2026

📞☎️TAKE ACTION TODAY: Call your California legislators and urge them to SUPPORT AB1267 and help end child marriage in California.

➡️Find your representative here: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ [or scan QR code]

AB1267 (Pellerin) would set 18 as the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnership in California, with no exceptions. is proud to support CCSWG and Unchained At Last for their tireless efforts. Huge thanks to bill author Assemblymember Gail Pellerin

💜 Every child deserves the chance to grow into their full potential. Child marriage disproportionately affects girls - Dropping out of school, early motherhood, risk for human trafficking are significant risks.

📚 According to UNESCO, 87% of married teen girls ages 15–17 are no longer in school, and 76% already have children.
⚖️ An estimated 35,000 minors were married in California between 2000 and 2021, according to Unchained At Last.
🧠 Neurodivergent youth may face additional barriers in asserting boundaries or recognizing coercion, making strong protections for young people especially important.

🌟It’s time to protect youth, empower their futures, and build stronger communities. 📚

📣 Urge California lawmakers to SUPPORT AB1267 and help end child marriage.

More information ⬇️

- Unchained At Last: https://www.unchainedatlast.org/

- CCSWG Executive Director Darcy Totten’s Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yZ748CNiuc

- YND Position Letter: Our position letter: https://www.youthfornd.org/our-position-letters

From Aashna@YouthforND: Thank you so much to Stanford Youth Mental Health ! It was an honor attending the Stanford Tech-...
08/24/2026

From Aashna@YouthforND: Thank you so much to Stanford Youth Mental Health ! It was an honor attending the Stanford Tech-X, Mental Health + Technology Immersion Program.

It was a whirlpool of learning and innovation. Through interactive lectures, workshops, discussions, and capstone projects, we explored how emerging technologies, including social media, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and wearables, can be designed and used to support youth mental health.

We also learned about the incredible work done by Stanford’s GoodforMEdia youth initiative on digital wellness toolkits, conversed about AI ethics and use of LLMs (Large Language Models) for training and therapy, and met Dr. Grace Hawthorne, a pioneer in user-centric design at the Stanford d.school .

Applying our learnings toward a real-world solution was the highlight of the program! My team and I co-designed InstaBrake. We proposed specific Instagram platform changes to better support users with ADHD, time blindness, and internet addiction. Among our concrete recommendations included mindfulness and customizable algorithm modes, irreversible pre-session time limits as a commitment device, and features to reduce sensory overload.

Huge thanks to Dr. Eric Kuhn, Vicki Harrison, Dr. Grace Hawthorne, Pippa Kennard, Justin Hogg, and the project mentors!

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